Persistent health complications in COVID-19 hospitalized patients at tertiary care hospital in Western India

doi:10.5492/wjccm.v15.i1.114620

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World Journal of Critical Care Medicine

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Retrospective Cohort Study

©Author(s) (or their employer(s)) 2026. No commercial re-use. See Permissions. Published by Baishideng Publishing Group Inc.

World J Crit Care Med. Mar 9, 2026; 15(1): 114620
Published online Mar 9, 2026. doi: 10.5492/wjccm.v15.i1.114620

Persistent health complications in COVID-19 hospitalized patients at tertiary care hospital in Western India

Ashish Jain, Pushpendra Saraswat, Ayushi Sharma, Vinod Sharma, Ravi Jain

Ashish Jain, Ravi Jain, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, Jaipur 302022, Rājasthān, India

Pushpendra Saraswat, Ayushi Sharma, Vinod Sharma, Central Research Facility, Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences and Technology, Jaipur 302022, Rājasthān, India

Author contributions: Jain A and Jain R contributed to conceptualize the study, analysed the data, reviewed, edited the initial manuscript and prepared and reviewed final manuscript; Saraswat P, Sharma A, and Sharma VK, did the data harvesting, curation, investigation, wrote the initial manuscript and reviewed the final manuscript.

Institutional review board statement: Ethical approval for the study was obtained from the Institutional Ethics Committee, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College & Hospital, Mahatma Gandhi University of Medical Sciences & Technology, Jaipur, vide letter reference number, No. /MGMC&H/ECI/JPR/2023/1705, issued to Dr. Ashish Jain on November 2, 2023. The institutional review board granted permission to conduct this study. The authors solemnly declare that this study was conducted in accordance with the best ethical principles, upholding the highest standards of ethical practice, and that the findings are reported with complete honesty and transparency.

Informed consent statement: The authors declare that the study involved a telephonic survey of patients and no face-to-face interaction was carried out with the participants. Before commencing each telephonic interview, verbal informed consent was obtained from the participants by the interviewers. Only those patients who provided consent were included in the study. All of their details were kept confidential.

Conflict-of-interest statement: Authors declare no conflict of interest pertinent to this project.

STROBE statement: The authors have read the STROBE Statement – checklist of items, and the manuscript was prepared and revised according to the STROBE Statement – checklist of items.

Data sharing statement: Authors are willing to share de-identified core data of this study upon reasonable request subject to approval from the institute’s authorities.

Corresponding author: Ravi Jain, MD, Associate Professor, Department of Critical Care Medicine, Mahatma Gandhi Medical College and Hospital, SRCC Building, Sitapura, Jaipur 302022, Rajasthan, India. ravijainstar@gmail.com

Received: September 25, 2025
Revised: November 3, 2025
Accepted: December 19, 2025
Published online: March 9, 2026
Processing time: 156 Days and 16.3 Hours

Abstract

BACKGROUND

Long coronavirus disease (COVID) is a condition characterized by persistent health issues following severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection. The condition remains poorly understood, especially in terms of long-term impact on health and the quality of life. This study hypothesized that majority of the discharged patients experience long-term post-COVID-19 complications.

AIM

To evaluate the long-term post-COVID-19 complications and its impact on the patients’ quality of life.

METHODS

This retrospective cohort study, with telephonic interview-based follow-up, was conducted at a tertiary care hospital in western India between March and August 2024. The medical records of the patients hospitalized with COVID-19 during the second wave (between March and June 2021) and discharged, were reviewed. The data were collected from the patients via structured telephonic interviews that focused on post-infection sequelae across various bodily systems and was summarized using percentages and proportions.

RESULTS

A total of 1139 patients who met the inclusion criteria, participated in the study with a follow-up period of three years. Amongst the survivors (n = 1052) at the end of three years, 150 (14.25%) developed new or ongoing diseases after recovery from acute COVID-19, while 51 (4.8%) were still under treatment at the time of follow-up. Amongst these 150 long-COVID-19 patients, pulmonary disease (n = 27, 2.57%), body pain (n = 20, 1.90%), coronary artery disease or angioplasty, and diabetes mellitus (n = 17, 1.61% each), hypertension (n = 16, 1.52%), and fatigue (n = 13, 1.24%) were frequently reported. Although statistically insignificant, the patients who received three or more vaccine doses after the second wave of the pandemic reported slightly lower rates of post-COVID-19 morbidity and treatment requirements.

CONCLUSION

The current study highlights the burdens of long-term complications following COVID-19 infection, with a broad spectrum of post-infection sequelae. However, the impact of vaccination on the course of development and treatment of long COVID could not be ascertained. This finding emphasizes the need for continued research and healthcare planning to address the persistent impact of COVID-19 upon the survivors.

Keywords: Persistent health complications; Long COVID; Post-acute COVID-19 syndrome; Long-term consequences; Quality of life; COVID-19

Core Tip: Long coronavirus disease (COVID) can persist even after three years. In this study, we found that 14.3% of the discharged patients developed persistent systemic symptoms, and about 4.8% (n = 51) of patients are still undergoing treatment for post-COVID-19-related illnesses. Patients report a wide variety of symptoms ranging from pulmonary (2.57%), chronic body aches (1.9%), cardiovascular (1.61%), and diabetes (1.61%) to general fatigue (1.24%). Vaccination status was not associated with the development, course, or treatment status of post-COVID-19 disease (P value: 0.82, 0.21, and 0.12, respectively).